A Quiet Place is one of the few blockbuster hits of the last several years based on an original idea (which came from writers Bryan Woods and Scott Beck, not John Krasinski, no matter how Krasinski spins it). In 2018, it made $340 million. A sequel, released in the pandemic summer of 2021, managed to pull in $297 million, a legit feat in the hurly-burly days of theatrical recovery. A threequel is expected in 2025, but first, there will be a spin-off titled A Quiet Place: Day One. Details of the film are being kept under wraps, but we do know it will star Lupita Nyong’o. She’s in talks to topline the film, which is being directed by Michael Sarnoski (who directed Nicolas Cage in Pig, which is totally not the film you think it is based on the trailer. It’s WAY better and sadder). Another thing we know is that Day One is due in spring of 2024.
Despite the title, everyone is very careful not to call this a “prequel”, so I don’t think we can assume it’s about the day the aliens attack Earth. A Quiet Place Part II did a great job with that, anyway. I don’t need a whole movie about the alien attack, that one scene nailed it. Maybe this spin-off is about the first day of recovery, like an attempt to rebuild the world or even just a functioning if limited society. The first two movies deal largely with isolationism, a Quiet Place film about literal worldbuilding could be interesting. It is also important to note that the Quiet Place extended universe IS based on original ideas from John Krasinski, and John Krasinski alone. If you, like me, found the writing in A Quiet Place Part II less elegant than the first time around, this might not bode well. But it will be interesting to see what this world looks like coming from a new director, and casting Lupita Nyong’o is always a great place to start.
Attached - Lupita out in New York yesterday in multiple outfits promoting Wakanda Forever.